Ibf May Take Tyson`s Belt -- And Hang Itself With It

March 23, 1988|By FRAN LaBELLE, Staff Writer

One of Mike Tyson`s favorite boasts is that there is not a man on this planet who can beat him.

Bob Lee is in position to change all that.

Tuesday it was reported that Lee, the International Boxing Federation president, may strip Mike Tyson of the IBF heavyweight title. The reason is because Tyson wore his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council belts -- and not one from the IBF -- into the ring before stopping Tony Tubbs in the second round Sunday at the Tokyo Dome.

The IBF will make a decision April 2, when Lee returns to the United States, as to whether Tyson will retain his title. At that time Lee will call Tyson in to discuss the situation.

Smart move. That will give Lee time to do a strip of his own and rid his sleeve of his ego and his back pocket of his brains.

According to Bill Cayton, who co-manages Tyson with Jimmy Jacobs, Tyson did not wear the IBF belt because he did not want to embarrass the host Japan Boxing Commission, which does not recognize the IBF. Because of the decision not to defend the IBF title in Japan, Tyson`s camp did not have to pay the IBF its $40,000 sanction fee.

And that`s the problem.

Taking Tyson`s title for the sake of that relatively petty sum means Lee is seriously considering risking the credibility of his organization, and thousands of dollars later on, just to show that he is one man on this planet capable of taking Tyson`s title.

Remember that Lee is the same man who stripped Michael Spinks of the IBF heavyweight championship when Spinks and promoter Butch Lewis filed an injunction to fight Gerry Cooney rather than jump into Home Box Office`s heavyweight unification series.

This is why the undefeated Spinks has always cringed when Tyson was called the ``undisputed`` heavyweight champion. Spinks` dispute is that he never lost his title. Lee took it from him.

Now, Spinks will fight Tyson on June 27 and the IBF may not get a cent from it.

If the IBF strips Tyson of his title, Miramar`s Trevor Berbick and Carl ``The Truth`` Williams likely will fight for the vacant crown. Tyson knocked out Berbick, then the WBC champion, in two rounds on Nov. 22, 1986. Though he never fought Williams, Tyson knocked out former champion Larry Holmes in four rounds last January and Holmes scored a 15-round decision over Williams on May 20, 1985.

The IBF would face real embarrassment later on should Tyson decide it can keep its title.

Tyson, his co-managers and promoter Don King have five fights remaining on an exclusive seven-fight $26.5 million package with HBO, which does not include the Spinks fight. One of those bouts already belongs to Frank Bruno, whom Tyson will fight in September, and Evander Holyfield looms as another likely opponent if he steps up in weight.

Surely, Tyson and his managers will have no problem finding three other fighters -- don`t forget, this is an Olympic year -- to complete the HBO deal, which runs through 1989. Heck, Tubbs earned $550,000 just by letting Tyson massage his jaw with a left hook Sunday.

Meanwhile, the winner of Berbick-Williams will go on to defend his new-found IBF title against the likes of James ``Bonecrusher`` Smith, Tony Tucker and James Broad. Tyson never has fought Broad but has beaten both Smith and Tucker. One of these men may go on to fight Tyson, but then what point has Lee made if Tyson gets the title back?

Clearly, Tyson does not need the IBF or any other sanctioning body to be recognized as the world`s best heavyweight. He sanctioned himself by winning all 34 of his career fights, 30 by knockout, defeating the best his division had to offer and fixing himself in the minds of boxing fans as an enduring and seemingly invincible champion.

Lee should recognize this, swallow his pride and let someone in the ring try to take Tyson`s titles.

Otherwise, Lee may find that the only person he has beaten is himself.